Oh My Fuckin' Buell...
I'm 37 years old. I got my first "bike" when I was 16. It was an old moped, but it was fun as all hell and the feeling of freedom that little machine instilled in me rages on to this day. .
Since then, I have owned 27 different motorcycles. Ok, two or three were atv's, but you get the idea. Well here's a list! They are in order of purchase. The last bike on the list was purchased yesterday. Take note of the last few bikes on the list and you'll see an interesting trend. Feel free to read the ramblings that follow the list.
Bikes Owned:
01. Moped
02. YAMAHA Blaster 200 atv
03. KAWASAKI Mojave 350 atv
04. HONDA CB350
05. KAWASAKI KZ750 ltd
06. KAWASAKI GPZ550
07. KAWASAKI KZ550 ltd
08. KAWASAKI KZ440 ltd
09. KAWASAKI GPZ550
10. HONDA Shadow 500
11. HONDA CX650
12. HONDA Nighthawk 650
13. YAMAHA FJ600
14. YAMAHA XS650
15. SUZUKI GSXR750
16. DUCATI 900SS/CR
17. SUZUKI TL1000R
18. HONDA VFR800 Interceptor
19. HONDA RC51
20. KAWASAKI ZX14 Ninja
21. KAWASAKI CSR750
22. SUZUKI DR650
23. BUELL XB12X
24. BUELL XB12X
25. BUELL XB12X
26. DUCATI 748
27. BUELL XB12X
Ok, so wtf is with all the Buell's you ask? Well, I have approx 300,000 miles on two wheels under my belt. I've hit more deer than you can count on one hand, have been hit by a drunk asshole in a pickup truck, have ridden coast to coast solo along with a few other epic trips and have so far covered 42 states aboard a bike. I'm by no means bragging. I simply supply these details to try to validate a single point: the Ulysses is simply a motorcycle marvel.
I wish I bought one years ago. But as you see, once I discovered these machines, I've literally gone to town. I bought my first Uly last November. Last summer I rode to Florida aboard an RC51. I sold the bike down there, bought a stunning ZX14 Ninja (200hp!!) and rode that to Ca and eventually back to Pa. 36 states, 13 weeks and 10,000 miles. Well after being home only 2 days, I hit my 7th deer, destroyed the 14 and lost a good bit of skin despite ATGATT.
After that crash, my funds were limited so I bought a DR650. It was in the driveway before my bandages came off. I bought the DR because when I was out west, I saw so many dirt & gravel roads that a fully loaded 200hp Ninja could only dream of. Well the DR was cool, but certainly no touring bike so I began looking at my Adventure bike options. The BMW 1200GS very much appealed to me, but I'm a man of modest means and the price tags of even 7 year old bikes left me staggered.
Enter the Buell. I don't remember the moment I discovered the Uly, but once I made up my mind that I wanted one, the search began. I've never been much of a Harley fan. I don't knock them, they're just not my thing. So that may have jaded me as far as Buell's go in my younger years. But being older and arguably wiser, I looked at the numbers and decided to try one. I learned that you can get ALOT of bike for the money.
So as soon as my DR sold, I pulled the trigger on a 2006 Uly. I talked the guy down to $3500. Basically stock with 18,000 miles on the clock. I rode that bike around my twisty back roads and was impressed with how well it handled. The innovative trademark Buell features intrigued me. I did some maintenance and rode the bike to Florida, fully loaded with all my camp gear. I enjoyed camping in the keys and rocketing through some sand & gravel roads in Big Cypress National Preserve. In the twisties the bike handles well enough that chicken strips were "digested" with ease. On the highway, it cruises effortlessly at 80mph with enough torque, brakes & maneuverability for any situation. On the gravel & sand, the bike is plenty stable & controllable, not to mention comfortable at 65mph.
The Uly gets impeccable gas mileage, is very dependable, easy to work on, inexpensive to maintain and is an absolute joy to ride. The fact that you don't see one on every street corner is an added bonus.
So I got back from Florida and sold the bike for $4500. A thousand more than I paid and I added 6000 miles to the clock.
I then immediately bought a 2007 Uly that only had 4900 miles on it. You could've eaten sushi off any part of this bike, it was that clean. It had a Drummer exhaust that sounded great, but was leaving my ears ringing after even a short ride. Three weeks later, that bike sold for $6000. Cha ching. So I bought my buddy's Ducati 748. I bought this bike for two reasons: ride it & flip it. Well, it's a Ducati, it's handling is as amazing as its ergonomics are sadistic. Wicked fun. I liken it to amazing sex with a gorgeous woman that you absolutely hate. It sold after 2.5 weeks for a $1000 profit.
Cha ching again.
My third Uly was purchased during the short affair with the Duc. I knew I didn't want to be without a Uly and the impracticality of the 748 enforced that sentiment. Another '06 with 17k on the odo and a few choice mods.
So while freshening up the latest Uly, I found another '06 in Maine. By this time I knew I was hooked on Uly's and sort of regretted selling that mint '07 but was loving my current '06 just fine. The bike in Maine turned out to be just as showroom fresh as the '07 I was missing. It had a mere 2131 miles on it, full luggage, comfort kit, tinted touring screen, driving lights, Tuono mirrors, etc. i knew I had to have it. I decided I'm a lifetime Uly owner (or close to it), so I wanted to have this practically brand new bike.
Luckily, the profit from the previous bike flips provided most of the funds needed to scoop this bike up.
I started dating a beautiful girl about two months ago and when I told her I was going to take a bus to Maine to buy a bike, she excitedly offered to drive me the 408 miles. Wow, sounds like a keeper, right?? So we left Saturday morning, got there just before dinner time, made the deal and enjoyed a fantastic seafood dinner together. And she insisted on treating even though I planned on paying all the travel expenses. A sweet girl indeed which is why on the drive up, I asked her to make our relationship official, and lucky me, she obliged. Did I mention we went for a motorcycle ride on our first date? My kind of girl... ...but this is about the bike, not the girl!
Anyway, we spent the night in a cozy motel and left at 8am this morning for the 408 mile ride home. The new bike performed flawlessly, just like the three previous ones.
So here I am, my 4th Ulysses and a beautiful girlfriend. I could continue to gush about both, but I hope my point has been aptly made: the Ulysses is indeed a marvel. A truly under rated machine that will likely surprise any first time buyers. And with that said, my third Uly is for sale in the classifieds! My 4th Uly, like my new girlfriend is surely a keeper.
I went camping, zip-lining & rafting in New York state over the last few days. This isn't my first camp adventure aboard a Uly but damn, it's the functionality and fun that's built into these machines that makes owning a Uly such a pleasure...
